Freelance Writing

When to Charge an Hourly Freelance Writing Rate

Personally, I always charge freelance writing clients on a per project basis; very rarely do I rely on hourly pricing. But with that being said, there are times when hourly pricing may be the best option. Here are a few examples when this may hold true.

1. In some cases it can be difficult to charge a per project price. The client may not have precise details, or the project may only be in the planning stages. If you run into this situation, you may want to tell the client that you are willing to work on an hourly basis until more details are ironed out.

2. Depending on the stage of your career, charging hourly rates for small jobs is probably the best option. For example, you would not want to charge the same for a 1,000 word sales letter as you would a 500 word sales letter minor edit. If you do, it is safe to say that your client will consider you crazy. In this case, you could simply tell them the estimated time for completion, and give them an hourly rate. This will help you to stay on track as far as time is concerned, while also giving the client the chance to save money.

3. If you are a freelance writer, there is a good chance that a client will get the impression that you can do it all. For instance, I have been asked to help with everything from social bookmarking to editing to brainstorming on a conference call. If you are going to do work outside of writing, you may want to consider an hourly rate. This is best since you do not really know what you are getting into.

Of course, charging an hourly rate comes with additional responsibility. In fact, there are two things that are important to communicate to your client.

1. First and foremost, tell your client what your hourly rate is. Believe it or not, they may be surprised when you say $50 or $60/hour. If they question this, explain to them that it is a great savings when compared to the per project price.

2. Although not always possible, you should give an estimate on how long the work will take to complete. When doing this, always err on the high side. It is much better to be able to charge a client less than to break it to them that you underestimated and they owe more than they thought.

Finally, to be fair you will want to keep track of the hours that you work. When you are charging by project, you only have to concern yourself with when the job will be done. But when it comes to charging an hourly rate, you need to keep close track of when you work. Not only is this fair to the client, but it will also ensure that you get paid for all of your time.

While I do not like to charge hourly freelance writing rates, there are times when this is the better option.